Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

[flintsilver7]

I want to add a load to my washing machine circuit. I have an exterior floodlight to add, and there are two circuits in my basement. One powers four ceiling lights and 10 or 12 outlets. The other powers only the washing machine. Both are single-pole, 120V breaker circuits.

Is there any reason why I should not add to the washing machine circuit? Again, it's separate from the dryer, and it has no other loads it. I skimmed through the NEC very quickly and I couldn't find anything that said this was a bad idea. The wiring itself is 12/2, no different than any other circuit.

 

[bphgravity]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

This would be a violation of section 210.11(C)(2).

 

[james wuebker]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

bphgravity is correcet. If it's only 1 flood light the other circuit will be OK to add on to if your not drawing much of a load. You then would be OK code wise.
Jim

 

[charlie]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

I hope you are not planning on doing this work yourself but are just engineering the layout so you can hire a qualified electrician to do it for you.

 

[charlie b]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

I have to disagree with Jim's answer. Sorry, Jim.

We count receptacle outlets at 180 VA each. You didn't say what type of ceiling lights you have. But you have to count their load on the basis of what the luminaire (fixture) can handle, even if you presently have a smaller bulb. If the fixture says "maximum 100 watt bulb," then it counts as a 100 watt load, even if you have 60 watt bulbs installed. So let's assume 100 watts each for the 4 existing lamps. Let's assume 100 watts for the flood light. You are looking at a total load of 2560 VA, even before you add the flood lamp. That is a rated current of 21.3 amps. Even if the existing fixtures are limited to 60 watt bulbs, I would say the circuit is already overloaded. It really wouldn't matter, from an engineer's or electrician's perspective, if you were to assert that you seldom use any of the 10 to 12 receptacle outlets. They are connected to the circuit, and you have to treat them as though they were supplying power to something.

You need to look for another solution. The laundry circuit is not permitted to have any other outlets, as Bryan has pointed out. The other circuit can't handle the load. I think it is time to call an electrician, as "The Other Charlie" has suggested.

 

[james wuebker]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

Charlie b,
I agree with you to a point. Remember there's no limit of receptacles you can put on a circuit in a residential application. That's why I suggested to check to load on this circuit before going any farther. It does sound like he will need an electrician to make sure it's done correct.
Thanks for the advice!
Jim

 

[ryan_618]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

Originally posted by charlie b:

We count receptacle outlets at 180 VA each.

I think we are discussing a residential application, in which case your statememt above wouldn't apply.

 

[charlie b]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

Originally posted by ryan_618:I think we are discussing a residential application, in which case your statement (about 180 VA per outlet) wouldn't apply.

True, but irrelevant, as an old boss of mine was wont to say. The OP said he couldn't find anything in the NEC that said this "was a bad idea." Bryan cited the article that did say adding the light to the laundry circuit was a bad idea.

But I think the other half of the question goes beyond code requirements. I concede your point, and Jim's, that the code would not prevent adding a flood light to the existing lighting and receptacle circuit. I was looking at it from the design perspective (i.e., the "is this a good idea" perspective). If I were to design a residence, I would apply the "180 VA per outlet rule," when I laid out the receptacles, even though the code would not require me to. If the owner wants to save money by "value engineering" away some of the "extra" circuits, that is the owner's prerogative. But I would start by trying to make the owner happy with a set of circuits that do not often trip on overload.

In this case, if there is little actual load on the circuit (i.e., if very few, if any, appliances are ever plugged into the 10-12 outlets), then it should not cause any problems to add the flood light. But I would look into it more carefully, before I recommended that plan.

 

[macmikeman]

Re: Help - Adding to Washer Circuit

We count receptacle outlets at 180 VA each

In a dwelling while there is no limit to the number of receptacles as stated by Ryan and others, also when Mrs. homeowner plugs her 15 amp(according to the manufacturer,but not always the case) vacume into the wall socket, any other load on most of the general purpose branch circuits in a dwelling is too much additional load. My point here is we can't control the load plugged into general purpose receptacle outlets, so trying to figure out the actual loading on a circuit by counting in the # of receptacle outlets on the circuit is a moot point. Look around your own house. Most of the receptacles are not used . Adding one more light to this circuit will probably not cause any problems at all.